


A Holiday to Remember

by sarahdarling



Series: AoS Christmas Prompts [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Agents of SHIELD, Christmas, Christmas prompts, F/M, First Kiss, FitzSimmons - Freeform, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Headcanon, I think I'll go to Boston, Minor Angst, Nerds in Love, OOC, Original Character(s), Out of Character, Robert is kinda a dick, Sci-Ops Era (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Traditions, friends first, non-canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21646813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahdarling/pseuds/sarahdarling
Summary: During Christmas at Sci-Ops Simmons is dating second floor scientist, Robert Christensen, and he wants to take her home to meet his parents. Simmons is concerned about her Christmas traditions with Fitz, and with leaving him all alone for the holiday. Fitz and Simmons both struggle with their feelings for each other, but nothing is going to ever change, right?I can't promise this will be the best story you've read, but it flowed from my fingers very fluidly and even though the characters are sometimes OOC, it's still Christmas fluff and isn't that the best?Based on the prompt: We're best friends with a bunch of holiday traditions and your S/O just surprised you with a trip away. Now we have to do all of our traditions in 24 hrs, oh and I'm in love with you.
Relationships: Jemma Simmons/Original Male Character(s), Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons
Series: AoS Christmas Prompts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560640
Comments: 10
Kudos: 31





	A Holiday to Remember

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zuziuchna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zuziuchna/gifts), [ClementineWhy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClementineWhy/gifts).



> Written for Zuziuchna (AO3 name), otherwise known as @2minutes2midnight on Tumblr for demanding this to come into existence... also, shout-out to ClementineWhy (AO3 name), otherwise known as @clementinewhy on Tumblr, because she thought me writing this long-ass story was not a bad thing. 
> 
> This was written between the hours of (pm and 5:30am and not Betaed. Please let me know if you notice any mistakes and I will correct them. Image from Google Photos, I just added some Christmas flair.
> 
> I hope to add to the series: Christmas Prompts. Hopefully, people will be requesting a lot of things this winter.
> 
> Thanks for reading and enjoy some light angst with Christmas fluff thrown in.

Sci-Ops was a busy place, and Simmons knew that the lab she shared with Fitz was theirs's alone, never having to worry that she couldn't use the centrifuge because someone else was running a test. Fitz had been bent over his desk all day fiddling with the designs of a non-lethal weapon. She had been working on the chemical component that would be needed for the weapon to work when their boss called Simmons into his office.

"I need you to analyze these blood samples and determine what could have caused the person to break into hives when they had no prior allergies or medical issues." He barked at her. She accepted several vials and went back to the lab.

She should not be doing this. There were other agents who were entirely capable to handle a simple blood screen. She had more important things to work on. Simmons signed loudly. Today was supposed to be a happy day. Instead, it had taken a downward spiral.

"What's wrong?" Fitz asked.

She held up the vials, "I'm supposed to analyze this blood sample to figure out what caused hives, of all things!" She was obviously frustrated.

"But why are they having you do that? Can't the idiots on the second floor figure it out?"

"Fitz, they're not idiots. They went to the same Academy as us and were also required to have at least one PhD." It was something she had said many times through their partnership, but he always seemed to need reminding.

"Well, even so, we have more important projects to be working on. Blood samples are simple. Hell! I could run one myself and write the report, that's how simple it is."

"Of course you could Fitz because you've done it before and furthermore..."

"...haven't done it in years and I..."

"...shouldn't need me to point out..."

"...just proving my earlier statement that..."

"...others could do it because it's..."

"...easy!" They said at the same time. Talking over each other and finishing each other's sentences was something they had done since the first day of being paired together. It was the norm now and they had both learned to accept it.

Fitz walked over to her and they stood shoulder to shoulder. He knocked her shoulder with his and smiled. "Hey, do this and then we are off until January 2nd." _There was a bright side. _She smiled. It was the 22 nd of December, and they had both requested extra time off for the holidays since they had just finished the DWARFS project, something Fitz first envisioned at the Academy.__

____

____

Over the years Fitz and Simmons had started many Christmas traditions. It started on the 23rd, which they had reserved for decorating their flat. A fresh Christmas tree was always bought from the trip down to the tree farm. Lights and ornaments (some of which their parents had sent them) were hung on the tree. Fitz always crafted a new topper for the tree, ranging from chrome snowflakes to aluminum angels, always completed with lights, or sometimes even movement. Mistletoe was not something they put up; both would be too nervous to be caught under it by the other anyway. Christmas Eve began with, first, a viewing of the Star Wars Christmas Special that aired in 1978, followed closely by The Muppet's Christmas Carol (Simmons' favorite retelling of a classic book), a joyous viewing of The X-Files episode _How the Ghosts Stole Christmas_ , a laughter fueled attempt to watch the Community episode _Regional Holiday Music_ (Fitz had once commented that it was funniest Christmas episode of a television series he had ever seen and Simmons made sure there was always time to watch it), and always ending with a terrible Christmas movie from the Hallmark channel. Neither one actually wanted to watch those films but were worried the other would disagree. All of this happened while eating pizza, topped with vegetables, much to Simmons' delight and Fitz's acceptance. Christmas Day was filled with the presents they had for each other, and the ones that their parents had sent them, which had always included their favorite British snacks, candy, and of course, Christmas crackers. Dinner was always the same, China Gardens. She once tried to cook them an official British Christmas dinner the year they moved into their flat, but accidentally overcooked the turkey, the Yorkshire puddings sank instead of rising, and the kilted sausages (that she took the time to get the recipe for from Fitz's mother [they were his favorite]) were undercooked! She had started crying in the kitchen and sank to the floor. Fitz sat down right next to her, put his arm around her, pulled out his cell phone, and ordered their favorites from China Gardens. The tears stopped and she smiled. He always knew what she needed. When the food arrived, they sat at the table, pulling the crackers and using chopsticks while wearing those silly paper crowns. Boxing Day was even more fun. They always started it by Skyping with, first Simmons' parents, then, Fitz's mum. The screen was passed between the two, as their parents demanded to see both adults. After a breakfast of pancakes and bacon, which were both things Simmons could make with ease, they would bundle up and build a snowman (living in Boston did have its advantages). There would be the traditional snowball fight, which Fitz always won, and they would head back inside to bake cookies. It was something that reminded Simmons of her childhood and Fitz was more than happy to benefit from the extra sweets around the flat.

New Year's Eve was always tricky. They had spent the night together before, even shared brushes of lips against cheeks in celebration, but if they were dating someone at the time that night was reserved for them. While Fitz didn't currently have a girlfriend, Simmons had been seeing Robert Christensen (from the second floor, as much as Fitz complained) for a couple of weeks now and she would be spending the 31st with him. Simmons never brought him home with her, but Fitz always noticed when she hadn't come home the previous night. _Come to think of it, Fitz had never brought a date home either._ Simmons assumed it was out of respect for each other but there was always something off to her. Like, if they were just best friends, why couldn't their significant other stay over?

Ten full days off, four of which were considered holidays, but the other six they were using vacation time. The days between Christmas celebrations and New Year's celebrations would be spent lounging on the couch, watching whatever they choose (usually one would choose first and they would go back and forth until someone fell asleep, or admitted defeat by going to bed), reading the books they didn't have time for during working days at Sci-Ops, and even, sometimes, working on projects they hoped they could get funding for. They always stayed in each other's company, except when they went to separate rooms to sleep. There were times when a blanket would be shared, someone's head would, eventually, lull to the other's shoulder, and the other person would rest their cheek against it. They were comfortable with their amount of physical contact, even though it seemed strange to everyone else. On nights like that it was usually acceptable to fall asleep with each other on the couch. When one of them awoke, they would leave the other to rest and cover them with the blanket, going off to finish the night in their empty bed. Years of practice had made the loneliness of their own bed a little less hard to swallow, but each knew who they would choose to have beside them.

"Okay, go back to the weapon designs..."

"The Night-Night Gun." He interrupted.

"We aren't calling it that!" Simmons responded. Fitz frowned. "Just... go back to that, I'll do this, and we'll wrap things up for the day." That made him smile. It was only 3pm now. He walked back to his desk and leaned down again, letting the love of his work take over. She started to analyze the blood sample vials one-by-one, testing different things. She started with the standard blood count, nothing obvious showed up. She ran a basic metabolic panel to measure sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), magnesium, creatinine, glucose, and calcium. Everything was within the normal range. She ran a lipid panel (she assumed that they had made the patient fast for the blood tests). Nothing was out of the ordinary. A strand of her hair had fallen in her face and she blew it out of the way. _Time to try something outside of the box._ She thought.

"C'mon Dr. Honeydew! Get this done!" Fitz called out, looking her way.

"How many times do I need to tell you not to call me that?! I am not a Muppet!" She exclaimed turning towards him.

"Yeah, but it's still funny." He laughed.

"If I'm Dr. Bunsen Honeydew that makes you Beaker." His laughter stopped and his face dropped. "That's what I thought." They each turned back to their work.

She paused, considering what rare options there were to cause hives in a person who hasn't shown previous medical problems. _Autoimmune diseases could cause hives. There's lupus and even Hashimoto's Thyroiditis._ Simmmons told herself. While Hashimoto's seemed possible, she doubted that was what was causing the hives. She was left with the idea that it just might be lupus. She reran the standard blood count and also tested the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. This time, comparing the tests together proved that it must be lupus.

"Got it!" she proclaimed, but he wasn't paying attention. She walked to her computer and typed up a quick report. Emailing it to their boss she blew out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Meanwhile, Fitz was stuck on the trigger mechanism. _I'm just worn out. After this vacation time, it will all fall into place._ He stood straight up and placed his hands on the back of his hips and pushed his stomach forward, something Simmons thought made him look like a pregnant lady, but she wasn't going to tell him that. He sorted his sketches, parsing out which ones he wanted to keep and what was actually trash. He opened his desk drawer and placed the drawings inside. He closed and locked it. Turning to his computer, he saved his previous work to a USB drive and then pocketed the drive. It was now filled with his partial ideas and beginnings of projects. All things he and Simmons could work on during their break. With his computer now shut off (really what was the point in leaving it on for ten days when it was going to be password-protected [and had a second authentication process Fitz had come up with and put on his and Simmons' computers]). He noticed Simmons also saving her work and putting her USB drive into her purse. She was now in the process of shutting down her own computer. They always seemed to be on the same page.

"Done?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "Let's go."

They walked out of the lab and Fitz locked the door. Starting towards the elevators they walked in tandem, easily falling into the same step pattern. Just as Fitz reached out to push the "Down" button the elevator popped open. Standing there was Robert, he smiled at Simmons, not even acknowledging Fitz.

"Jemma, thank God you're still here. I got tickets to go to Philadelphia to visit my parent's house!" Stepping out of the elevator, he seemed so happy as though Simmons would jump at the chance to go to Philly. She and Fitz had already gone on a road trip to visit historical cities in America when they graduated from the Academy. It was part of the reason that they settled on the Sci-Ops offer that was from the Boston location. "We leave early morning on the 24th and are there until the 27th."

"Oh!" Simmons exclaimed. "Umm... how did you get the extra time off on such short notice?"

"Because he's expendable." Fitz whispered to himself, thankfully Simmons didn't hear. Robert had given his answer by the time Fitz started to pay attention to him again.

"What do you say?"

Simmons was torn. She had plans with Fitz. That they did every year. For the past five years. She didn't want to change that now, but Robert was her boyfriend and he was sweet for wanting to introduce her to his parents. In her life, she hadn't had a boyfriend that wanted to take her home. Sure, Fitz introduced her to his mum shortly after their introduction, but he didn't feel that way about her. His only thought was of introducing his friend to his mother: _Right?_ She thought.

"Well, I sort of have plans with Fitz, remember?" Simmons knew they had talked about their holiday plans and she was very detailed in her descriptions. Fitz perked up at this, realizing she would prefer to stay in Boston with him and not go to Philly with second floor Robert.

"You and Fitz can do those things another time! Shouldn't I come before him?" Robert said. Fitz was shocked. _This guy_. He and Simmons shared a quick look.

Turning back to Robert she asked: "Can I think about it tonight and let you know tomorrow?"

"My parents already paid for the tickets! You have to come!" he erupted. "They really want to meet you!"

"I didn't tell you I would go anywhere with you. I actually told you, in detail, how **WE** spend our holidays." She motioned towards Fitz. "You and I were supposed to spend New Year's Eve together, not Christmas." She was angry, Fitz could tell. Simmons wanted to stick to her traditions. The reason they started celebrating together was that they were both sad about not being able to travel home to the UK during their first year at the Academy.

"Listen, this is a great opportunity to go outside your comfort zone and meet my parents at the same time. We do Christmas right, the whole feast with ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, we even have those warm biscuits!" She grimaced quickly before he noticed. _That is not a traditional Christmas._

"You need to give me tonight to think about. I can't decide when you put me on the spot like this." If she were a seven again, she would have stomped her foot and, maybe, even held her breath until he agreed to her terms. Robert's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Fine," he said. Discuss it with Fitz, because I know you're going to," Fitz thought his name was said with a little too much venom, "and tell me tomorrow night."

She nodded and reached past him to finally push the "Down" button. The three of them stood by while the elevator car moved. After a few minutes, it arrived and Robert held out his arm as if he were showing Simmons the way to enter. Fitz waited for her to pass, then pushed past Robert to stand next to her. Robert let out a huff and moved into the elevator. He pushed 2 and noticed that she must have already pressed the 1 button as it was lit up.

The doors closed and they traveled down several floors before it opened again on the second floor.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow." He leaned forward and placed his lips against Simmons'. She didn't even have time to respond. Nodding to him, he was finally pleased and walked away. The doors closed again.

"So..." Fitz started. "what are you thinking?"

"Not here." She seethed. He nodded in affirmation. They arrived at the first floor and made their way out of the building to the parking structure. They were valued and therefore had a spot on the bottom floor, which was reserved for the top SHIELD scientists. Climbing into the car Fitz could tell Simmons was about to boil over. _Thank God I'm driving._ He thought.

"The nerve of him! Asking me to go away with him when he knows we have plans. And he didn't even buy the tickets! His parents did! Now I don't know if he actually wanted me there in the first place or was just following mummy's orders." Fitz let her rant. He loved seeing her angry at someone else. Her anger made her skin flush, which made him think of other, more intimate times, her skin would also flush. He shook his head to clear his line of thought, it would only end in his misery. "So now I'm what? Expected to leave you and all our traditions behind because a guy, one I've only been seeing for two weeks, told his parents about me and they bought me a plane ticket, WITHOUT EVEN CHECKING WITH ME!" She shouted the last bit and seemed to deflate after that. "I guess I'm supposed to feel happy that they're interested in me. It means he must have spoken highly about me, but I just don't know. I still want to do what we do every year... and I don't want you to be alone for Christmas." She whispered the last part into the air, as though admitting it was admitting her true feelings for him. _He doesn't need to know that I enjoy spending time with him more than I enjoy my time with Robert, right? I don't have to tell him every thought and feeling I have for him damnit! I can keep some to myself._

"So, you think you should go, but you still want our traditions?" Fitz paused. "Well, I guess, I mean, we can try and fit it all into tonight and tomorrow? That way you can go with him and not have to worry about missing our traditions." He continued looking forward into the traffic on the street, not daring to glance her way in fear that she might actually agree to this crazy idea.

"But what about you? How can I leave my best friend on Christmas?" Simmons responded. "It's not the right thing to do." She left out the part about more than friendship feelings.

"I don't think there's a right or wrong answer here Jem. I think, if you want to continue your relationship with Robert, you need to go to Philly and meet his parents." He didn't want to say it, but there was only ever one truth he kept from her and he wasn't prepared to let that information slip.

"Do you really think we can fit all our traditions into 24 hours?"

"Sure! We can go tonight to the tree farm. It's still pretty early. There's no reason we can't just start the traditions now. We'll get the tree, bring it home and decorate. I'll cook us up that chicken we have in the fridge. Tomorrow morning we'll Skype with our parents after opening the gifts. Then you can make pancakes and bacon while I put on the Star Wars Special. We'll eat and watch to save time. Then we'll go out and build the snowman, and I'll trounce you in a snowball fight. We can go inside to dry off and watch the Muppets sing and after that bake the cookies. We can skip X-Files and Community..."

"...no, we cannot it's..."

"...not important in the..."

"...long-running tradition and we will..."

"....we don't have to..."

"...do it!" They both finished. She blushed at what those final words implied, and his ears turned red.

"Fine," he said. "We'll watch X-Files and Community after I order China Gardens for an early dinner. After dinner, we'll watch all the Hallmark Christmas movies you want until we fall asleep on the couch. See? It can all be done."

She considered his words carefully. If they moved things around like he suggested she could do both, but she was still angry at the assumption made by Robert's parents. Not to mention the fact that she knew he was going to his parent's home for the night of the 24th and coming back late on the 25th, so it **wasn't** his idea for her to join him. _Does he even really want me there?_

Looking at Fitz she muttered: "Fine, but we have to go home first and change into warmer clothes if we're going to the tree farm tonight."

"Agreed." He said.

* * *

The tree farm was full of families of different kinds, most with kids in toe. Simmons knew she’d be there someday, but today was definitely was not that day _. When we settle down it will be in Perthshire, in a cottage, with a separate building for our lab. Then, we can work from home and take turns with the kids._ She thought to herself. Realizing that she just lumped Fitz into her vision without knowing if he felt the same thing made her feel terrible. _Fitz doesn’t think of me like that. I bet when he looks to the future, he’s settling down with someone like Karen. Big boobs Karen, with that stupid blonde hair and long legs._ There were multiple occasions where she walked past their lab and Fitz took notice. _She hardly understands a word he says._

“Hey! I found one!” Fitz called. Simmons followed his voice to the most perfect tree she had ever seen. When she told him this he grinned, looking every bit like the cat that ate the canary. 

“Now saw it down.” She passed him the handsaw and backed away. This job always fell to him. When he asked her why she simply responded that “it’s because I said so, Fitz.” with a roll of her eyes. She knew it was only because she liked watching him work, but that was her business. 

Within minutes the tree was down and they both carried it to the front. Paying as the tree was wrapped in plastic netting for the ride home, they were both offered candy canes by the cute little old lady who sat at the register. She smiled at them and commented: “You’re the cutest couple I’ve seen this season.” They were used to hearing this reaction, something leftover from their Academy days, and didn’t bother correcting her. Secretly, the comment sent a small thrill through Simmons and Fitz always felt his smile widen. 

They loaded the tree onto their car and secured it with twine. Climbing into the passenger’s seat, Simmons reached for the radio. Once the car was on, she tuned it into the station that always started playing Christmas songs on the 1st of November. Fitz would never let this station into their car until they officially started their Christmas and he deemed that as when they put the tree on the car. 

They both hummed along to a rendition of Silent Night. Simmons watched the lights pass on the highway as they made their way back to their flat. Parking, they unloaded the tree and brought it inside. The stand was already setup, something Fitz must have done while she was putting on additional layers. Once the tree was vertical again, she held it up while he secured the base to the tree. She ran and got water for the Douglas Fir, not falling for any of the old wives’ tales of what could prolong tree life. 

Fitz went to the kitchen and started dinner while Simmons wrapped the tree in multi-colored twinkle lights. It took three strands to get them to the top, but the look was worth it in the end. 

“So, tell me, did you already finish the tree topper?” She asked. He never revealed it until the night the tree went up. She never knew if he was already finished, or if he stayed up late on the 22nd every year to work on it. She knew he always put a lot of effort into making the topper. It was something he started doing for his mum when he was eight, and continued to make one for her, even to this day. The one he made for himself and Simmons was always different than the one he mailed back to his mum. 

“I did already finish it, and it’s in my room. After dinner, I’ll go get it.” He called back. “Dinner’s ready.” He held up two plates and moved towards their table. He went back into the kitchen for their utensils. She also moved into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of champagne flutes from the cupboard. She reached into the fridge for the bottle of Sparkling Apple Cider they always drank while decorating the Christmas tree. She didn’t often indulge in sugary drinks, but it was this year’s version of their Christmas, and that was cause for something more than water. Opening the bottle, she brought all three items with her to the table. Fitz was just sitting down as she poured him a glass of cider. She sat too and filled her own glass. They both tucked in and silently ate. She noticed there was Christmas music softly playing and realized Fitz must have turned it on before he sat down. 

Finishing their dinner fairly quickly she cleared the table and placed the dishes in the sink. Fitz joined her at the sink, and they smiled at each other. She started the washing process and he continued by being the official drier of dishes. They were done within a few minutes and she went back into the living room to hang ornaments. Fitz walked the short distance down the hall, to his room, to collect the tree topper. This year he really outdid himself, really wanting to impress Simmons, if he were being honest with himself. He used several different metals, including a very small sample of vibranium which he had received. He manipulated them into, of all things, a snowman, complete with moving arms, one of which picked up the top hat from the snowman’s head and placed it back down a few seconds later. 

“Here,” he said, pushing it into her hands with a smile. 

“A snowman?!” She was obviously excited. “Fitz, this is perfect.” She tried to place it on the top of the tree but was a couple of inches too short to reach. She ha nded the metal tree topper back to Fitz and said: “You do it.” 

He took the topper back and reached out to place it on the tree. It easily fell into place, as Fitz had predicted it would, and, turning back to Simmons, he smiled. She beamed back at him and they stayed like that for several seconds too long. _He’s so handsome with the lights reflecting in his eyes._ She thought. He thought: _There’s no way I have any chance with her. I mean, look at her! She’s ethereal._

Breaking eye contact, she bent down and collected the top box of ornaments. It was clearly marked as: “Fitz’s decorations.” She handed it to him and then picked up her own box, which was marked with her name. 

“Who gets to hang the first one?” Simmons asked. 

“You should do it. I put the topper on, now it’s your turn.” He looked at her expectedly. She nodded to him and picked the first bobble out of the box. They had already told each other the story of each ornament that came from their respective families. Hanging it on the tree, she turned to him. 

“There. The first ornament has been hung. If we don’t get anything else on the tree it still has lights, an ornament, and a tree topper. We’ve completed our duty for the holiday.” Simmons laughed at her own words and he joined in. 

“You’re saying I don’t have to do anything else? I’ll take it!” Fitz turned around as if he was leaving, but she grabbed his hand to stop him. 

They locked eyes; hand-holding was not something they did unless someone was in the hospital or something was very wrong. It was never during joyful moments, where both were happy and clear-headed. The moment seemed to go on forever. Fitz was staring at his hand in her own. They didn’t look away until they heard it: the still playing radio now had the emergency alert noise blaring from it. They dropped hands and looked towards the noise. 

“There is a snowfall alert for the greater Boston area. Stay off the roads to allow emergency vehicles to pass. Make sure you have an emergency stock of water, as pipes can freeze. Expect 3-5 inches of snowfall. This alert will stay in effect until 3:37am on December 23rd.” 

The radio tuned back into music, in the middle of _I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus_ , which only made Fitz think of kissing, and hand-holding, and eyes locking and…. stuff he wasn’t supposed to think about his best friend. 

Simmons smiled sheepishly and took another ornament out of her box. She found another branch and hung the heavy glass nativity on it. The only reason it held any place in her heart was that her grandmother had given it to her during the last Christmas before she passed. Just looking at it made her mindful of her current situation. Here she was, forcing four days of activities into two just so she could go out of town with a man she wasn’t even positive she liked very much. She already knew how she felt about Fitz; she just wasn’t going to tell him. _We have time. We can wait._ But that excuse was quickly becoming empty with its promise. With five years together already, she knew she wasn’t going to be able to live the rest of her life without him by her side, at least in some capacity. _You won’t be happy unless you tell him._ Pushing that thought out of her head she walked back to the table and downed the rest of her cider. 

Fitz was also in his head, no better at hiding his spinning gears than she was. _I don’t want her to go. She belongs with me. She belongs to me!_ He closed his eyes. _Where had that thought come from?_ He tried his best to never be possessive of Simmons because he knew she liked her independence, but it was no use. He had become dependent on her through the years and could no longer move forward without her. It was no use. He wanted her to be his in every sense of the word. He wanted her working with him in the day and laying in his arms at night. 

“Wow.” He said, voice cracking. He cleared his throat and tried again. “The snowfall should make for a fantastic snowman.” 

“Yeah,” Simmons replied. “and you’ll have plenty of ammunition for the snowball fight.” Her voice leered as she said this. “We still have that extra pack of water, right?” She suddenly changed her thoughts. 

“Yes. It's in the pantry.” 

“Good because we don’t…” 

“…not going to freeze this high…" 

“…can happen when you least expect…” 

“…I want to kiss you!” He blurted out. He wasn’t thinking, just spewing words. He didn’t even realize he said it until she gasped. She looked directly at him and he froze. Closing his eyes, he waited for inevitable. She was going to have to let him down, then she would have to move out, and eventually, she would leave their partnership too because he finally crossed that invisible line. 

Simmons saw his eyes close and knew he wasn’t watching her anymore. She fidgeted with her hands, wringing them together. She never fidgeted, she was always the calm one, the analytical mind that always saw things he didn’t pick up on. She moved closer to him, stepping into his personal space. Fitz could feel her presence close but still refused to open his eyes. “Fitz,” she murmured, “look at me.” 

Fitz sighed and opened his eyes, expecting her to be farther away than she actually was. His breathing sped up and he thought: _here comes the first blow._

She reached for him, placing her hands on both his cheeks. Moving closer still, Simmons leaned up. He closed his eyes again and prepared to feel her lips settle against his. 

Time seemed to stand still as she moved slowly. Her own eyes fell closed and she was ready to kiss him. 

**BBBBBRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!**

They jumped apart. Her cell phone rang from her purse by the door. Simmons ran to it quickly, anxious to stop the offending noise and continue on with Fitz. Her heart dropped when she saw it was Robert. _Robert! I’m with Robert!_

**BBBBBRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!**

It rang again. 

“You should answer that,” Fitz said. He had turned his back to her, trying not to be disappointed once again at her choosing Robert over him. Without looking back, he retreated to his room and shut the door. 

Simmons heard the click of the lock and dropped to her knees. She tried not to sound like she was close to tears when she answered. “Hello?.... Yes, I heard the report…. No, it doesn’t change anything unless the alert extends to the 24th and we can’t fly out… No, I haven’t made up my mind yet. Robert, I thought we agreed you would give me time and call tomorrow?... Wanting to make sure I’m okay is a fine reason to call, under normal circumstances. You know I have Fitz with me? Fitz who lived many winters in Scotland. One of the coldest climates there is… No, I suppose it’s not fair to argue with you about another man. Listen, I need to go. I’ll call you tomorrow when I know what I want to do.” She quickly hung up before he could respond. She was still by the front door, on her knees. She knew Fitz had retreated and she wouldn’t see him for the rest of the night. Simmons had mist in her eyes but held the actual tears at bay. _Can I really cry over a missed moment with Fitz when I have a boyfriend?_ The answer, of course, was a resounding: _Yes!_ It echoed in her mind. Fitz was everything Robert would never be, and more importantly, she already knew how she felt about Fitz. It’s no wonder she could never keep a boyfriend for longer than a few weeks. She was always silently comparing them to Fitz and none of them would ever measure up. 

Simmons stood up and walked to Fitz’s bedroom door. She held up her fist to knock but pulled back at the last second. She needed to take care of a few things before she could continue on this course with Fitz. Mainly, she had to tell Robert where to get off. He was very condescending, telling her not to use her relationship with Fitz against him. 

With her mind made up, she looked at the cell phone in her other hand. _Apparently, something has changed._ Simmons walked back to the living room and turned off the lights, leaving the ones on the tree to glow into the night. She went to her own room and closed the door. Unlocking the phone, she pulled up her recent contacts and chose Robert’s name and picture. Pushing the call button, she brought the phone up to her ear. It rang twice and he answered. 

“Hi, Robert… Yes, I know I hung up on you rather quickly, but I had more important things going on then you speaking down to me… No, I’m not going to apologize for saying that…” he droned on for a minute and she let him. When he was finished, she spoke again: “Listen, you’re not going to like this next part. I don’t want to go with you to Philly, AND,” she added before he could speak, “I think you should start looking for a new girlfriend… It doesn’t matter if I’m doing this for Fitz or not!... Yes, I’m sure… Fine. Happy Christmas.” The call disconnected. She looked at the phone and smiled. Simmons was now free to explore a real relationship with Fitz, not just their partnership and friendship, but: _A full relationship, with kissing, and hugging, and, hopefully, sex._ She knew she should be blushing about her thoughts, but she was so happy it didn’t matter. Now it was time to figure out how to tell Fitz she wanted him too. 

In his room, Fitz laid out on his bed, not bothering to change out of the winter clothing he was wearing. _I have made a complete ass of myself. There is no way this has a happy ending for me._ He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. _Maybe I can scream myself asleep._ He thought, but the scream died on his lips. He couldn’t risk being loud enough for her to hear him. She didn’t need that on her. He fell into a fitful sleep, chasing dreams of soft lips, chestnut hair, and dazzling brown eyes. 

* * *

Morning couldn’t come soon enough for Simmons and she was out of bed by 6am. She sprung up happily and putting on her most festive sweater, moved to the kitchen to make pancakes and bacon. She wasn’t sure that Fitz was going to come willingly out of his room without any coaxing from her, but she was hopeful. She even set out a cup of tea, just the way he liked it. 

By 8am she heard a noise and could no longer say that she hadn’t pressed her ear up against his door, so she’d know if he was actually awake in there. The door creaked open and Fitz stepped into the hallway. Thankfully his eyes were downcast, and he didn’t see Simmons' head poking out from around the corner. He slowly walked to the dining table where she had set out their breakfast and sat down. Picking up his tea, he sipped slowly. 

“Good morning Fitz!” Simmons said cheerfully. He eyed her cautiously. 

“I assume, given your happiness, you’re planning to go to Philly with Robert.” 

“Actually, Robert and I didn’t work out. I told him that I wanted something different.” _Someone!_ She smiled as she watched his eyes grow larger. “There was no point seeing him anymore anyway. Especially when there’s someone I prefer to spend my time with.” He looked at her expectedly, as though she would say anything but him. “You, Fitz! I’m talking about you.” 

The words sank in and Fitz finally smiled for the first time that day. “Yeah?” he asked. 

“Yeah.” She answered. He stood up and moved towards her. Opening his arms, she fell into them easily. Simmons knew that was where she was supposed to be. _This is who I should have always been with. This is our forever._

Fitz pulled back slowly and actually gazed at her. She smiled up at him. He leaned his forehead against her own. “You’re sure?” 

“Yes Fitz, you berk. Now stop stalling and kiss me.” 

He laughed at her response and leaned the few inches, so they were, finally, kissing. It was an all-encompassing kiss, taking on a life of its own. Their push and pull was there, just like it always was. Simmons' tongue snaked out between her lips and she ran it across the seam of his mouth. He opened up immediately and their tongues met. He groaned at the feeling, while she sighed. They stood there for what could have been hours, or even days. They were completely intent on being with one another. They broke apart and she looked up to his eyes. The blue in them could rival any ocean or sea, and the fact that they were blown wide and she caused it made her feel tingly in places not yet explored. 

“So, our Christmas is back on?” Fitz was still hesitant, even after the best kiss he had ever experienced. She nodded and leaned back up to kiss him again. He pulled back, “Does this mean we’re going to start hanging mistletoe?” 

Simmons laughed loudly. “Only if you need an excuse to kiss me.” 

“It’s a no then.” 

“It’s definitely a no.” 

The snow continued to fall outside, but neither one was concerned by it. They were together, just like they had been for the past five years, and just like they would continue being for as long as they wanted. Which, if you asked either of them, was always going to be forever. Forever would be just enough time together.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure you noticed some little tidbits eluding to episodes, showrunners, and in one case, even me. I can't say for sure why I felt the need to include those things, but hey, for something written on the fly, without sleep, I don't think it's too terrible.
> 
> Christmas treats are the best... and by treats I mean reviews... and by the best I mean, please?
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr as @sarah--darling


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